Uncle Albert, Juneteenth and lima beans
On June 18, 1878, my great-great-great-uncle Albert was sitting on the front porch of his lovely Austin home, Las Ventanas, surveying the bounty…
Jalapeño coleslaw
The room was silent. Barbecue expert and writer Lolis Eric Elie, author of Smokestack Lightening, had just been asked what he thought about…
Refried beans recipe: a life pursuit
I was born with a silver spoon in my mouth, and it was filled with a heaping serving of refried beans. OK, the…
Cranberry poblano salsa
Cranberry sauce for many means this: a tubular, red, gelatinous substance that slithers out of a can, shiny ridges included free of charge.…
Mashed sweet potatoes with chipotle chiles
Growing up, not a holiday dinner or church potluck supper was complete without a casserole dish filled with baked sweet potatoes topped with…
Lunch ladies and fried okra
School lunches are a hot topic du jour as the school year has recently begun. Everyone from The New York Times to the…